House of Go
by Lacygrey
Summary: Shindou Hikaru several years on, as seen by one of his young students


**House of Go**

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Written for Blind Go on LJ (see my FF profile for links to the site: more fic by other authors and sign-ups for round 11 - ends April 10th)

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**I. Hara**

The first time I ever impressed my parents was when I beat my elder brother Aito at Go. I knew I was onto something. Aito was nice about it too; perhaps he was in shock, since he'd always been better at everything. That was the day that I found my calling. Now, you might say that skateboarding is my thing; I've got the look, the kit and the skill. But I had Go before that and it will always come first.

I first learnt that Go existed at University! Impressed? No? I'm joking. I won't be going there to study, unlike Mr-future-lawyer Aito. But Mom works there and after school I'd go and wait for her. She does student counseling, so I'd take a manga and sit in the waiting room. I'd see all these worried college kids going for their counseling and looking like the world was about to end. Like I said, I don't want to go to college.

On the wall of the waiting room was a poster with a girl and a boy, old enough to be at college too, but radiantly happy. They were sitting outside in the sunshine, playing a board game with hundreds of black and white pieces. The girl had shiny chestnut hair and the boy had part of his hair dyed blond, which I thought was really cool. It was a poster for the Ki-in, the Go institute. I spent a lot of time looking at that poster and started wishing I was part of it.

Two years later, when I was nine and already thought I was pretty good at Go, my parents took me to the Go institute to get me enrolled as an insei. I'd won a local children's tournament and already saw myself becoming a professional Go player. They should have phoned the institute first. It was only when we got there that we found out I was too young to even take the entry test. I was devastated at the idea of having to wait until middle school to become an insei.

So there I was, blubbing in the vestibule of the Ki-in with the secretary being all apologetic but not changing his mind and my Mom and Dad and Aito there, just making it all worse. They took me to the Go institute shop to try to distract me. Mom said I could choose what I wanted: a fan, a book, or…a poster? Amazing - they had the same poster that I saw at the University. Well I forgot all about the insei test right there. Suddenly it was like having my dream to take home with me, even if I'd have to work a few more years to make it reality.

When we were leaving, I had to walk past to the secretary and look composed and bow goodbye and everything. But before I could feel terrible about all that again, I looked around and saw _him_; the kid from the poster, or I should say adult, because he seemed a whole lot bigger. I thought it had to be him because of the hair and I ran over to make sure. Aito said I should get him to autograph the poster and even went ahead and asked. He looked a bit uneasy when he saw the poster, but then he smiled, asked my name and then went ahead and signed:' To Hara Taigo from Shindou Hikaru 3-Dan'. Then he asked me if I played Go.

That was how I came to be Shindou Hikaru's student. What with all my angst over the insei test I'd run out of nerves, so, when he asked me to play a game against him, I was fully concentrated and on top form.

I'm the only one of Shindou-sensei's students with a chance of taking the pro exam this year. I'm trying not to stress about that. I'm really trying not to stress.

**II. Sensei's House**

Sensei is writing a book.

It's a book about Go, if you hadn't guessed. It's called, 'Shuusaku: Linking the far past to the far future'. He's been writing it since I started studying under him. That makes five years. My brother said it isn't surprising that the book is taking him so long, since Sensei doesn't have a high school diploma. But I think it's because Sensei's book needs so much research; he's even been to China for it, looking up old stuff. What always seemed strange to me is why he's researched so much about Go that happened before Shuusaku was born.

Sensei lives alone with a black-and-white cat called Hoshi, in a house that's got a big downstairs room for Go. That's not to say he is a lonely type of guy. The house is always full of people when I go there, but, more than anything, it's full of Go.

Sensei is trying to train Hoshi not to chase Go stones while the rest of us encourage him because it's so funny to watch. Hoshi was a gift from the girl from the realty agency who sold Sensei the house. When you look at him, it's difficult to tell whether black or white has more territory on his coat, but he doesn't mind you picking him up, rolling him over and trying to work it out. No one agrees, but one thing is sure: he likes to sit on people's laps and he'll leave black hairs on white suits and white hairs on black suits!

It might seem kind of strange that the realty agent was giving out kittens, actually they weren't. Akari-chan is one of Sensei's middle-school friends; she even used to come to his family home when he taught his study session there. She's not so good at Go, I mean she's good enough for an amateur, but she doesn't play at pro level. She brings cookies when she comes to the study sessions though, so there's no problem.

I used to think she was his girlfriend, back when I was younger, but now I don't think he has one at all. It's certainly not Aikawa-san, from Go weekly, though she comes to the house a lot to help with Sensei with his manuscript. Aikawa-san says she loves Go and boys who love Go, whatever that means, because I've never seen her play. Waya-sensei just laughed and said she had a healthy mistrust for romantic entanglements.

I think that 'a healthy mistrust for romantic entanglements' is the best way to look at things when you have Go in your life.

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><p><strong>Author note: <strong>Written for Blind Go miniround 3, February 2011. Kindly beta'd by **Go_Hedgehog**.

Hikaru no Go is the property of Hotta and Obata, this in a non-profit-making fanfiction


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